Matthew Chuprin

Something interesting happened recently. After finishing a manuscript and sending it out into the world, I received an offer from a hybrid publisher.

At first it sounded appealing. They handle editing, cover design, printing, distribution… the whole process of turning a manuscript into an actual book. The trade-off, of course, is that the author contributes to the production costs.

And that’s where the little dilemma begins.

Hybrid publishing sits somewhere between traditional publishing and self-publishing. You get a team and some structure around the process, which can be reassuring. But you are also sharing the financial side of bringing the book into the world.

Self-publishing is the other path. It means doing more of the work yourself… organising, editing, arranging a cover, and figuring out distribution. It can sound daunting at first, but it also comes with complete independence.

Writing a book already takes a surprising amount of patience. Deciding how to publish it probably deserves the same. If you’ve faced the same choice, I’d be interested to hear how you approached it.

For now, the manuscript sits on my desk while I think it through.

aka starting as a new writer

When you start writing, like I just have, your output won’t be neat or consistent.

You’ll go hard for a few days…
then nothing for a while.

That gap feels dangerous.

You start wondering if you imagined the whole thing.
If that burst was a fluke.
If people who actually stick with things vanish like this.

This part seems normal.

At the beginning, you’re not just making things. You’re figuring out how your energy works. And it doesn’t follow a clean schedule.

Sometimes you sprint.
Sometimes you stall.
Sometimes you’re just living.

The quiet stretches aren’t always laziness. A lot of the time, your brain is still chewing — noticing, connecting, storing things away.

But if the silence goes on too long, it usually isn’t neutral.

It’s fear.
Fear that you’re not as good as you thought.
Fear that it won’t come back.

That’s where discipline comes in.

Not grind-it-out discipline. Just enough to open the document. Do it badly. Stay for ten minutes.

You don’t need another surge of motivation.
You just need to come back.

The people who last aren’t inspired every day.

They’re the ones who return.

So if you’re in a quiet stretch, don’t panic. Don’t turn it into a verdict. Just decide when you’re sitting down next.

You’re not failing in the silence.

The only real mistake is not coming back.

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